Railway-switch sweeper.



U. M. HURST.

RAILWAY SWITCH SWEBPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1914.

1,131,702, 7 Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

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CHARLES M. HURST, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SWITCH SWEEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed June 4, 1914. Serial No. 842,854.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES M. HURST, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Sweepers, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to a sweeper which is designed to be employed in connection with a railway switch for the purpose of cleaning the space between the movable switch rails and the line rails to prevent the accumulation therein of snow, ice and rubbish which would be likely to interfere with the operation of the switch.

The invention comprises, in combination with the ordinary line rails and the movable rails of a switch, a brush or scraper adapted to reciprocate between each fixed rail and its cooperating movable switch rail and means for reciprocating the said brush, which means may be actuated through the medium of a connection with the switch rails so as to be controlled by the movement of the latter.

The invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, particularly designated in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway switch showing the cleaner or sweeper applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a detail of the connection between the movable switch rails and the op erating mechanism of the sweeper; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

The main line rails of a railroad are shown at 10 and 10*, from the latter of which extends a siding rail 11, and at 12 and 12 the movable rails of a switch, the switch operating lever being shown at 13.

Resting on one of the cross ties, as 11*, is a bed plate 14 in which is mounted a vertical pin or shaft 15 having keyed thereto a pinion 16. The opposite sides of the bed plate 14: adjacent to the rails are provided with overhanging guide flanges 17, bolted or otherwise attached thereto, in which are adapted to slide rack bars 18 meshing with and driven by the pinion 16. The tie on which the bed plate 1 1 is located is preferably recessed to receive the latter, so that the top of the flanges will come up flush with the top of the tie, and the ties on which the rack bars move are also recessed, as at 18, to

provide guides therefor. Fixed to the outer end of each rack bar is an arm 20, extending outwardly to near the adjacent rail and having fixed to it a wire or other suitable brush, as 21, 21*, which is designated to enter, when its rack bar is reciprocated, into the space between the adjacent rail and its cooperating movable switch rail.

Motion may be imparted to the pinion 16 to reciprocate the brushes 21, 21, through the medium of a reducing pinion 22 fixed to the pinion 16, and a toothed segment 23, engaging the latter pinion and pivoted at 2 1 to an extension of the bed plate, and having a connection with a bar 25 connecting the movable switch rails. In the construction shown the bar 25 has fixed to it a depending arm 26 carrying a roller 27 at its lower end which plays in a slot 28 to compensate for the movement of the segment on its pivot.

In operation, when the switch rails are thrown from one position to the other, motion is communicated through the medium of the bar 25, arm 26, segment 23 and the pinions to the rack bars, which are thereby reciprocated in opposite directions.

As will be seen on referring to Fig. 1, as the main line is open the brush or sweeper 21 rests in the space between the main line rail 10 and the movable switch rail 12 cooperating therewith, the other brush or 21, being in front of the switch rail 12*, continuing the main line rail and which is in contact with the said rail. \Vhen the switch is operated the positions of the two brushes will be reversed, the latter being advanced into the space between the rail 10 and its companion switch rail 12 and the brush 21 withdrawn from between the rail 10 and its cooperating movable rail 12 as the latter closes against the said line rail 10. By their reciprocation and the alternate advance and recession of the brushes the space between the movable switch rails and the main line rails will be kept clean and free from foreign matter, inasmuch as any snow or rubbish that may have entered between the rails when separated will be dislodged by the brushes when withdrawn by the operation of the switch.

I have illustrated in the drawings a pair of movable switch rails and a pair of brushes, but it will be obvious that when only one movable rail is employed, one of the brushes and its connections may be dis pensed with.

I claim as my invention,-

1. In a switch cleaner, in combination, with the line rail and a movable switch rail, a brush adapted to reciprocate between the linerail and the switch rail, and connection between the switch rail,and connection between the switch rail and the brush.

2. In a switch cleaner, in combination with the line rail and a movable switch rail, a brush adapted to reciprocate into and out of the space between the line and switch rails when separated, a rack bar, a pinion meshing therewith, and connection between the movable switch rail and the pinion.

In a switch cleaner, in combination with the line rails and the movable switch rails, a brush adapted to reciprocate into and out of the space between each line rail and its cooperating switch rail when open, and means for advancing and receding the brushes in alternation.

4. In a switch cleaner, in combination with the line rails and the movable switch rails, a brush adapted to reciprocate into and out of the space between each line rail and its cooperating switchrail when open, a rack bar to which each brush is attached, a pinion engaging the rack bar and advancing and receding the latter in alternation, and connection between the switch rails and the pinion.

5. In a switch cleaner, in combination with the line rails and the movable switch rails, a brush adapted to reciprocate into and out of the space between each line'rail ducing pinion, a bar joining theswitch rails,

and an arm depending from the bar and engaging the segment. p

6. In a switch sweeper, in combination with a line rail and a movable switch rail, means for sweeping the space between the line rail and the switch rail, means for moving the switch rail, and means controlled by the movement of the switch rail for operating the sweeping means.

7 In a switch sweeper, in combination with a line rail and a movable switch rail, means for sweeping the space between the line rail and the switch rail, and connection between the switch rail and the sweeping means.

CHARLES M. HURST.

Witnesses:

C. J. STEFFEN, K. S. LOTT.

Copies of this 5mm may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

